He is also the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 in back-to-back seasons, joining the ranks of Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin.

At Richmond, He led 381 out of 410 laps in the 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400, showcasing one of the most dominant performances by a driver since 2000, but ultimately finished 24th after cutting a tire.

This victory marked Hamlin's third consecutive win at Martinsville and his fourth overall at the historic track, narrowing the points gap to just 6 behind Jimmie Johnson, who finished 5th.

Controversy arose when Hamlin spun his former teammate, Joey Logano, during a battle for position, leading to a heated exchange between the two in the garage after the race.

He returned at Talladega for the Aaron's 499, telling reporters that, since he wasn’t ready to run a full race, he planned to switch with Brian Vickers during the first caution and pit stop using a special exit on the car’s roof.

In 2014, Hamlin began the season on a high note by winning the pole position and leading all three segments of the Sprint Unlimited, ultimately securing victory in the race.

In the Daytona 500, Hamlin started in third place and led for 16 laps, emerging as a fan favorite to win and potentially sweep all three Sprint Cup events during Speedweeks.

[27] Some fans speculated that NASCAR should have penalized Hamlin for exiting his car before safety workers arrived, a rule instituted after the tragic incident involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr.

He managed to rebound to 3rd with 20 laps to go, but his chances of winning were dashed when he was penalized for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop, forcing him to the tail end of the longest line.

[32] After qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Denny Hamlin won the opening race at Chicagoland Speedway, securing his spot in the second round.

At the STP 500 in Martinsville, a track where he is a five-time winner, he placed 2nd in Stage 1 but was set back by poor pit strategy and a subsequent wreck, finishing the race in 30th.

Although a poor restart from the front dropped him to 10th at the beginning of the final stage, Hamlin worked his way back through the field to finish 5th, earning valuable points in the standings.

In the Xfinity race on Saturday, Hamlin outdueled Joey Logano, executing a crossover move in the last corner to cut underneath and take the win.

At Dover, Hamlin managed to earn stage points to secure a spot in the Round of 12 but was forced to retire with less than 30 laps remaining due to a broken axle.

He ended the season in 11th place in the final point standings, marking his first time outside the top ten since 2013, when he missed four races due to injury.

In 2019, Denny Hamlin began the season by breaking a 47-race winless streak with his second Daytona 500 victory, marking his first Cup Series win with new crew chief Chris Gabehart, who had replaced Mike Wheeler.

[61] However, during the spring race at Dover, Hamlin was rushed to the infield care center after carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by an accident that knocked out his car’s right rear crush panel and allowed fumes into the cabin.

In the Xfinity Series, Hamlin initially won the Darlington race but was disqualified after his car failed to meet the height requirements during the post-race inspection.

[76] Part-time Cup driver A. J. Allmendinger won the race, ensuring Hamlin clinched the 16th and final Playoff spot, even if he remained winless.

During the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, the penultimate race of the season, Hamlin was leading with seven laps to go while battling Alex Bowman, who had already been eliminated from the Playoffs in the previous round.

The tweet, posted on April 25, mocked Kyle Larson's block on Kurt Busch during the final lap of the 2022 GEICO 500 by using a Family Guy clip.

[81] Specifically, clear vinyl had been left on the lower corners and wheel openings before the paint scheme wrap was applied, creating slight dimensional irregularities.

[82] This marked the first time a NASCAR Cup Series winner had been disqualified since 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis lost a victory due to an oversized fuel tank.

On March 15, he was docked 25 points and fined $50,000 after admitting on his podcast Actions Detrimental that he had intentionally wrecked Ross Chastain during the closing laps of the Phoenix race.

[88] He secured a victory at Kansas after a tense battle with Kyle Larson, who hit the outside wall on the final lap, allowing Hamlin to pass for the win.

[89] On July 23, Hamlin earned his second win of the season at Pocono, his seventh career victory at the track, breaking Jeff Gordon’s record.

Toyota Racing Development admitted that the race-winning engine from Bristol had been rebuilt instead of inspected by NASCAR, resulting in a 75-point penalty for both the driver and team, along with a $100,000 fine for crew chief Chris Gabehart.

[100] Despite the repairs, he finished 5th in the race but didn’t accumulate enough points to advance, marking his third consecutive year missing the final four and elimination in the Round of 8 during the playoffs.

[105][106] On September 21, 2020, Denny Hamlin and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, longtime friends, announced the formation of 23XI Racing, a single-car team for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

[111] In 2023, Denny Hamlin launched a weekly podcast with Dirty Mo Media called Actions Detrimental, which airs every Monday morning.